We enjoy watching the curling events at the Olympics.  So much strategy, intrigue, and finesse.  We were really looking forward to seeing the men's gold medal match: USA vs. Sweden.  Instead of catching the live stream in the middle of the night, we chose to watch the replay the next morning.

As we settled in for the match, the announcer states, "Stay tuned for the great USA win over Sweden in the gold medal match."  I looked at him; he looked at me.  Did she really need to say that?  In a flash, the wind was sucked out of our sails.

Sometimes, though, we want to fast-forward to the end in order to learn the outcome of an event.  After Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, and suffered his intense Passion and death, it is comforting to know how the story ends.

SPOILER ALERT:  Jesus rises from the dead!  Alleluia!!

"Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near." - Isaiah 55:6

He is constantly chasing his slippers.  Wearing slippers in the house is new for him, so they are continually being left in this room when he's in that room, or left in the garage when he's in the house, or found upstairs when he's downstairs.  Until this new practice becomes routine, he will always be chasing his slippers.

What do we chase?  A promotion?  A new house?  A new car?  A new iPhone?

Perhaps we should leave the "slippers" behind and chase the things that matter most for eternal life.

Amen.

"Love is patient, love is kind. ... " - 1 Corinthians 13:4

The retired couple live a straightforward life.  They have a cozy home, sing in the church choir, and gaze at the stars.  She became life-altering ill on the day before Easter 2017; he became life-altering ill on the day before Christmas 2017.  There is irony in God's plan.  Life changed for both of them in the blink of an eye.

Now, he worries about her and she worries about him.  Together, they worry about life without the other.  Then, quite simply, and with a subtle poignancy, she places her hand on his arm.

This is love.

"I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth ... " - The Apostles' Creed

Who else could have created this earth?  Amen, I do believe!

(Photo taken at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah)